Hundreds Enjoy Chris Rice

Chris Rice was Great!

A week or so ago I heard about a free concert by one of my favorite Christian singers, Chris Rice. I was joined tonight by a few hundred other fans making it an intimate concert where I was only about 50 feet away... and could have gotten closer. His song lyrics are chocked full of faith-based messages and he came across as a real person you could have over for dinner. It was also nice to see teenage girls, long-haired young men, young families with children in strollers, grandmothers, and gray-haired men all simultaneously enjoying the Christian music all together. No fancy special effects either. Just Chris Rice and his percussionist.

Thanks to 94 FM "The Fish" in Nashville and Orpy Mills Mall for "Music at the Mills." It was well worth the trip.


To top off a really perfect evening, my alma mater, the University of Memphis advanced to the "Elite Eight" of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. It was Duke that was the first number one seed to fall.

An Honest Man is Hard to Find

The following article really made me think about the importance of truth. There are so many temptations to make our life easier in the short term by overtly distorting the truth, by omitting important details which might be embarassing, and even just allowing someone to come to the wrong conclusion about our reasons and actions.

God, mold me and make me into the man You need me to be. Give me the courage to always be truthful. Protect me from my pride and fear of embarasement. Amen.

The Truth About Deceit Most lies are pitiful attempts to protect our pride. By David P. Gushee

Prodigal Son Background Verses

I've been preparing my Sunday School lesson based on the parable of the prodigal son. The lesson material points out some verses I had not thought about before as background material regarding

• How the clothes a person wore showed something about their status.
• How a fine robe in particular was used to confer high status.
• How being striped of your clothes was humiliating
• How rings were used to give status and authority.
• How God sometimes chose the younger brother over the older brother in other instances in scripture.
  

high status

Genesis 37
Joseph's Dream
1Now Jacob lived in (A)the land where his father had sojourned, in the land of Canaan.
2These are the records of the generations of Jacob. Joseph, when (B)seventeen years of age, was pasturing the flock with his brothers while he was still a youth, along with (C)the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives And Joseph brought back a (D)bad report about them to their father.
3Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was (E)the son of his old age; and he made him a varicolored tunic.
4His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers; and so they (G)hated him and could not speak to him [b]on friendly terms.


Genesis 41:42New American Standard Bible (NASB)
42Then Pharaoh (A)took off his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph's hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and (B)put the gold necklace around his neck.

1 Samuel 18
Jonathan and David
1Now it came about when he had finished speaking to Saul, that (A)the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and (B)Jonathan loved him as himself.
2Saul took him that day and (C)did not let him return to his father's house.
3Then (D)Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself.
4(E)Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, including his sword and his bow and his belt.

Esther 2:20-22 (New American Standard Bible)
20(A)Esther had not yet made known her kindred or her people, even as Mordecai had commanded her; for Esther did what Mordecai told her as she had done (B)when under his care.
Mordecai Saves the King
21In those days, while Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate, (C)Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king's officials from those who guarded the door, became angry and sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus.
22But the plot became known to Mordecai and (D)he told Queen Esther, and Esther informed the king in Mordecai's name.

Esther 3
Haman's Plot against the Jews
1After these events King Ahasuerus (A)promoted Haman, the son of Hammedatha (B)the Agagite, and (C)advanced him and established his authority over all the princes who were with him.
2All the king's servants who were at the king's gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman; for so the king had commanded concerning him. But (D)Mordecai neither bowed down nor paid homage.
3Then the king's servants who were at (E)the king's gate said to Mordecai, "(F)Why are you transgressing the king's command?"
4Now it was when they had spoken daily to him and he would not listen to them, that they told Haman to see whether Mordecai's reason would stand; for he had told them that he was a Jew.
5When Haman saw that (G)Mordecai neither bowed down nor paid homage to him, Haman was filled with rage.
6But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone, for they had told him who the people of Mordecai were; therefore Haman (H)sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.
7In the first month, which is the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, Pur, that is the lot, was (I)cast before Haman from day to day and from month to month, until the twelfth month, that is (J)the month Adar.
8Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, "There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom; (K)their laws are different from those of all other people and they do not observe the king's laws, so it is not in the king's interest to let them remain.
9"If it is pleasing to the king, let it be decreed that they be destroyed, and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those who carry on the king's business, to put into the king's treasuries."
10Then (L)the king took his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman, the son of Hammedatha (M)the Agagite, (N)the enemy of the Jews.
11The king said to Haman, "The silver is yours, and the people also, to do with them as you please."
12(O)Then the king's scribes were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and it was written just as Haman commanded to (P)the king's satraps, to the governors who were over each province and to the princes of each people, each province according to its script, each people according to its language, being written (Q)in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed with the king's signet ring.
13Letters were sent by (R)couriers to all the king's provinces (S)to destroy, to kill and to annihilate all the Jews, both young and old, women and children, (T)in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to (U)seize their possessions as plunder.

Lack of clothes – low status

Esther 4
Esther Learns of Haman's Plot
1When Mordecai learned (A)all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city and wailed loudly and bitterly.

High Status

Esther 6
The King Plans to Honor Mordecai
1During that night the king (A)could not sleep so he gave an order to bring (B)the book of records, the chronicles, and they were read before the king.
2It was found written what (C)Mordecai had reported concerning Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's eunuchs who were doorkeepers, that they had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus.
3The king said, "What honor or dignity has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?" Then the king's servants who attended him said, "Nothing has been done for him."
4So the king said, "Who is in the court?" Now Haman had just (D)entered the outer court of the king's palace in order to speak to the king about (E)hanging Mordecai on the gallows which he had prepared for him.
5The king's servants said to him, "Behold, Haman is standing in the court." And the king said, "Let him come in."
6So Haman came in and the king said to him, "What is to be done for the man (F)whom the king desires to honor?" And Haman said to himself, "Whom would the king desire to honor more than me?"
7Then Haman said to the king, "For the man whom the king desires to honor,
8let them bring a royal robe which the king has worn, and (G)the horse on which the king has ridden, and on whose head (H)a royal crown has been placed;
9and let the robe and the horse be handed over to one of the king's most noble princes and let them array the man whom the king desires to honor and lead him on horseback through the city square, (I)and proclaim before him, 'Thus it shall be done to the man whom the king desires to honor.'"

High Status

Esther 8
Mordecai Promoted
1On that day King Ahasuerus gave the house of Haman, (A)the enemy of the Jews, to Queen Esther; and Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had disclosed (B)what he was to her.
2(C)The king took off his signet ring which he had taken away from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.
3Then Esther spoke again to the king, fell at his feet, wept and implored him to avert the evil scheme of Haman the Agagite and his plot which he had devised against the Jews.
4(D)The king extended the golden scepter to Esther. So Esther arose and stood before the king.
5Then she said, "(E)If it pleases the king and if I have found favor before him and the matter seems proper to the king and I am pleasing in his sight, let it be written to revoke the (F)letters devised by Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the king's provinces.
6"For (G)how can I endure to see the calamity which will befall my people, and how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred?"
7So King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, "Behold, (H)I have given the house of Haman to Esther, and him they have hanged on the gallows because he had stretched out his hands against the Jews.

Esther 8

Mordecai Promoted

1On that day King Ahasuerus gave the house of Haman, ^(A)the enemy of the Jews, to Queen Esther; and Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had disclosed ^(B)what he was to her.

2^(C)The king took off his signet ring which he had taken away from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.

3Then Esther spoke again to the king, fell at his feet, wept and implored him to avert the evil scheme of Haman the Agagite and his plot which he had devised against the Jews.

4^(D)The king extended the golden scepter to Esther. So Esther arose and stood before the king.

5Then she said, "^(E)If it pleases the king and if I have found favor before him and the matter seems proper to the king and I am pleasing in his sight, let it be written to revoke the ^(F)letters devised by Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the king's provinces.

6"For ^(G)how can I endure to see the calamity which will befall my people, and how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred?"

7So King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, "Behold, ^(H)I have given the house of Haman to Esther, and him they have hanged on the gallows because he had stretched out his hands against the Jews.

The King's Decree Avenges the Jews

8"Now you write to the Jews as you see fit, in the king's name, and ^(I)seal it with the king's signet ring; for a decree which is written in the name of the king and sealed with the king's signet ring ^(J)may not be revoked."

9^(K)So the king's scribes were called at that time in the third month (that is, the month Sivan), on the twenty-third day; and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded to the Jews, the satraps, the governors and the princes of the provinces which extended ^(L)from India to Ethiopia, 127 provinces, to ^(M)every province according to its script, and to every people according to their language as well as to the Jews according to their script and their language.

10He wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus, and sealed it with the king's signet ring, and sent letters by couriers on ^(N)horses, riding on steeds sired by the royal stud.

11In them the king granted the Jews who were in each and every city the right ^(O)to assemble and to defend their lives, ^(P)to destroy, to kill and to annihilate the entire army of any people or province which might attack them, including children and women, and ^(Q)to plunder their spoil,

12on ^(R)one day in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month (that is, the month Adar).

13^(S)A copy of the edict to be issued as law in each and every province was published to all the peoples, so that the Jews would be ready for this day to avenge themselves on their enemies.

14The couriers, hastened and impelled by the king's command, went out, riding on the royal steeds; and the decree was given out at the citadel in Susa.

15Then Mordecai went out from the presence of the king ^(T)in royal robes of blue and white, with a large crown of gold and ^(U)a garment of fine linen and purple; and ^(V)the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced.

16For the Jews there was ^(W)light and gladness and joy and honor.

17In each and every province and in each and every city, wherever the king's commandment and his decree arrived, there was gladness and joy for the Jews, a feast and a ^(X)holiday And ^(Y)many among the peoples of the land became Jews, for the dread of the Jews had fallen on them.

Low status

2 Samuel 10
Ammon and Aram Defeated
1(A)Now it happened afterwards that (B)the king of the Ammonites died, and Hanun his son became king in his place.
2Then David said, "I will show kindness to Hanun the son of (C)Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me." So David sent some of his servants to console him concerning his father. But when David's servants came to the land of the Ammonites,
3the princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun their lord, "Do you think that David is honoring your father because he has sent consolers to you? (D)Has David not sent his servants to you in order to search the city, to spy it out and overthrow it?"
4So Hanun took David's servants and (E)shaved off half of their beards, and (F)cut off their garments in the middle as far as their hips, and sent them away.
5When they told it to David, he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly humiliated. And the king said, "Stay at Jericho until your beards grow, and then return."

Priestly Status

2 Samuel 6:12-23 (New Living Translation)
12Then King David was told, "The LORD has blessed Obed-edom's home and everything he has because of the Ark of God." So David went there and brought the Ark to the City of David with a great celebration. 13After the men who were carrying it had gone six steps, they stopped and waited so David could sacrifice an ox and a fattened calf. 14And David danced before the LORD with all his might, wearing a priestly tunic.[a] 15So David and all Israel brought up the Ark of the LORD with much shouting and blowing of trumpets.
Michals Contempt for David
16But as the Ark of the LORD entered the City of David, Michal, the daughter of Saul, looked down from her window. When she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, she was filled with contempt for him.
17The Ark of the LORD was placed inside the special tent that David had prepared for it. And David sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings to the LORD. 18When he had finished, David blessed the people in the name of the LORD Almighty. 19Then he gave a gift of food to every man and woman in Israel: a loaf of bread, a cake of dates,[b] and a cake of raisins. Then everyone went home.
20When David returned home to bless his family, Michal came out to meet him and said in disgust, "How glorious the king of Israel looked today! He exposed himself to the servant girls like any indecent person might do!"
21David retorted to Michal, "I was dancing before the LORD, who chose me above your father and his family! He appointed me as the leader of Israel, the people of the LORD. So I am willing to act like a fool in order to show my joy in the LORD. 22Yes, and I am willing to look even more foolish than this, but I will be held in honor by the girls of whom you have spoken!" 23So Michal, the daughter of Saul, remained childless throughout her life.

God chosing younger brother over the older

Genesis 4
Cain and Abel
1Now the man had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and she said, "I have gotten a manchild with the help of the LORD."
2Again, she gave birth to his brother Abel. And (A)Abel was (B)a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
3So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the LORD of the fruit of the ground.
4(C)Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions And (D)the LORD had regard for Abel and for his offering;
5but (E)for Cain and for his offering He had no regard So (F)Cain became very angry and his countenance fell.

Genesis 25
21Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren; and (W)the LORD answered him and Rebekah his wife (X)conceived.
22But the children struggled together within her; and she said, "If it is so, why then am I this way?" So she went to (Y)inquire of the LORD.
23The LORD said to her, "(Z)Two nations are in your womb; (AA)And two peoples will be separated from your body; And one people shall be stronger than the other; And (AB)the older shall serve the younger."

Hungry for Books Overseas

I had a conversation with Patti Joy Posan, Executive Director of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge a while back. It helped illuminate a need that I would like to share with my readers. Perhaps someone can offer a solution. Everyone can pray about it.

I know that there are Christians in far away places and in countries where Christianity is not the dominant religion who are hungry for Bible-based, Christian reading material both for their own spiritual growth and for sharing with others. I've been trying to help just such an organization, the Christian Communication Center in India, which operates lending libraries for that very purpose.

Through Patti Posan, I discovered that there is a large supply of Christian reading material (about 8000 books as of about a month ago) sitting in a warehouse in Sewanee, Tennesse just a couple of hours from me. These books have been donated to the SPCK over the years from church members and pastors. The only thing which keeps the books out of the hands of the eager souls overseas is money to ship the books to them. Books are pretty heavy and the cost to ship them half-way around the world is not trivial.

I was wondering.

• Is there someone out there in the business world who happens to have a shipping container headed towards India or some other country where English is reasonably well known who might be able to slip in a shipment of books inside for no additional cost?
• Is there someone out there who has a heart for overseas missions and has been blessed financially who could donate out of their abundance to help finance a shipment?

Anyway, I ask that my readers to please pray for a solution to this transportation problem. I'd love to hear from readers via email or through comments to this post.

Copyright © 2005 by Philip Hartman - All Rights Reserved

What Lies on the Other Side?

I got the following in an email. I don’t know the original source but I think the message is worth sharing:

A sick man turned to his doctor, as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said, "Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side."

Very quietly, the doctor said, "I don't know." "You don't know? You, a Christian man, do not know what is on the other side?"

The doctor was holding the handle of the door; on the other side came a sound of scratching and whining, and as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room and leaped on him with an eager show of gladness.

Turning to the patient, the doctor said, "Did you notice my dog? He's never been in this room before. He didn't know what was inside. He knew nothing except that his master was here, and when the door opened, he sprang in without fear. I know little of what is on the other side of death, but I do know one thing... I know my Master is there and that is enough."

Forgiveness - Key to a Loving Heart

The key that opens the door to the locked rooms of our hearts is forgiveness. It is only when we have experienced forgiveness, (.. I mean being overwhelmed by the reality of forgiveness, being able to touch, tast, and smell its results) that we find the locks are sprung, the doors flung open, the windows tossed high, the rooms inhabited, the fires lighted on the hearths. It is then we discover that our hearts are finally free to love. They have become what the Creator intended them to be, places with immense capacity to embrace.

Karen Mains, The Key to a Loving Heart

Furnace of Affliction

"It is the will of heaven that the two countries should be sundered forever. It may be the will of heaven that America shall suffer calamities still more wasting and distresses yet more dreadful. If this is to be the case, it will have this good effect, at least: it will inspire us with many virtues which we have not, and correct many errors, follies and vices, which threat to disturb, dishonor and destroy us... The furnace of affliction produces refinements in states, as well as individuals."

John Adams, in a letter to his wife Abigail on July 3, 1776, the day after Continental Congress approval of the Declaration of Independence.

John Adams spent a lifetime in service to the US.

• Member of the Continental Congress and signer of the Declaration of Independence
  
• Urged Thomas Jefferson to write the Declaration of Independence
• Nominate George Washington as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army
• US minister to France, helping to negotiate the Treaty of Paris with Great Britain to end the Revolutionary War
• Negotiated first major recognition of American independence by the Dutch
  
• First US Minister to Great Britain
• Main author of the Constitution of Massachusetts
• First Vice President of the United States under President George Washington
  
• Second President of the United States
  

1 Corinthians 3:13 (Amplified Bible)

13The work of each [one] will become [plainly, openly] known (shown for what it is); for the day [of Christ] will disclose and declare it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test and critically appraise the character and worth of the work each person has done.

Christian Revolutions

The great Christian revolutions come not by discovery of something that was never there before. They come when someone takes radically what was always there before.

H. Richard Neibuhr